Look After You
by holographic
Summary: If, somehow, you could ever stand becoming a rainbow, then maybe you could fall in love with each other. / 8033 pairing; Swing 8: discreet.
1. Myth

**swing 1: myth.**

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Sasagawa Ryohei knew a lot more than he was given credit for. He didn't always _understand_ what he knew, but that was only to be expected; he wasn't exactly the brightest person there was.

He _did_ know, however, that there were many things that simply weren't real, things that were lies. Things like there being a sport greater than boxing, things more EXTREME than his life and his friends, and things like Kyoko not being the most amazing, beautiful, cute little sister that ever existed.

Stupid things like those sappy romance stories Kyoko liked him to watch with her, where the man and woman know from the very beginning that they are "destined to be together", or something like that. He usually didn't actually pay attention to the movies, something that sometimes made him feel guilty when Kyoko asked him out he had liked the movie.

But he can guess the moment where his life turned into one of the seemingly stupid romance movies where the hero(-ine?) falls in love with her "destined one" at first sight. Maybe it wasn't quite like that, but the first time he saw Yamamoto Takeshi fight, he felt in his _gut_ that the man crossing swords with the Varia rain candidate was the person for him.

A feeling that startled him, to say the least, because Yamamoto Takeshi just so happened to be a _guy_. And not even a _pretty_ one, like Gokudera or Sawada; Yamamoto was about as much of a man as _he_ was.

But he moved like a serpent, or like a bird, flitting through the water with only the tiniest of ripples, movements the boxer couldn't catch for the life of him. Ryohei decided to think of it as a passing attraction to another worthy opponent—'cause there was _no way_ he liked Yamamoto Takeshi.

And there was even _less_ of a way that he was in love with the guy.

Yeah, this was just him being excited that there was now someone else who'd be a challenge to fight. Ryohei grinned and pumped the air with his fist excitedly. This wasn't a cheesy romance movie or anything like that, 'cause there was just not a chance of anything happening.

The weird flutter in his gut was most definitely not butterflies when Yamamoto smiled, and the stupid heat reaching the tip of his ears was just him being extremely happy to see his friend.

Love at first sight was definitely a myth. Ryohei had always figured that; he had always known that. Hollywood had shown him that.

But Yamamoto Takeshi was proving everything Sasagawa Ryohei knew as right, wrong.

. . .

* * *

. . .

_**Alright! **__This is just a 8033 (YamamotoRyohei, for you people who don't know what the number for Ryohei is), fic collection. c: It makes me so happy to finally be writing this .. but it's not a popular couple, 'cause … Ryohei's not a super popular character, unfortunately. –aw- But because I love him (and Yamamoto) … I'm gonna try this pairing out. Crack pairings rule my soul … no joke … xD;_

_I've got so much other stuff I'm working on, too, hahi … being sick really takes a lot out of a person. .__.; But I'm hoping I'll get this little series done soon! Yeah. I've already got two and a half chapters, sooo .. I'm inspired.  
_

_Well, if you're curious for more 8033 … stick around! C: I hope to make it worthwhile._

**manrii.**


	2. Equilibrium

**swing 2: equilibrium.**

Swordplay was, Yamamoto Takeshi knew, something that required the utmost detail to every aspect of the technique, maybe even something beautiful, if used correctly. He felt someone like Tsuna, or maybe Hibari could tap into the grace of swordplay. But that was just because Tsuna could do anything he really wanted to, and Hibari was naturally elegant by nature, something Yamamoto wasn't sure was a curse or a blessing.

He, himself … he didn't know if he could wield a blade both effectively and skillfully, while also being graceful. It seemed impossible to him. He didn't have the cruel grace of Hibari, the all around awesomeness of Tsuna, the quick, furious style of Ryohei or anyone else.

No, he was just … rain. He washed away everything, left nothing behind: he was effective, he didn't need to be beautiful while doing it.

Maybe it was how he and Ryohei were similar. They both lived for these things (Yamamoto for his swordsmanship and baseball, Ryohei for his boxing), things that _could _be beautiful and wonderful, but neither of them seemed to be able to grasp the grace behind it.

Ryohei was like a rhino, charging through everything, shouting, grinning and punching anything that he wanted out of the way, and leaping before he even realized he was moving, much less before thinking.

Ryohei was odd among sportsmen, too.

He didn't care if he got hurt, because he was self-sacrificing and selfless; the sun, shining over everything and protecting the family with his bare hands: the pillar of strength that no one really noticed, but that they all relied on.

A balance of power and reason, and as Ryohei got older, the natural speed and grace shone through in his technique, just like Ryohei insisted was showing in Yamamoto's swordsmanship. They worked well on missions together, didn't get in each other's way, but helped when the other needed it, and learned from watching the other as they moved, growing to respect each other and eventually become friends, even care about one another.

They flowed around and through each other, like sun and water are apt to do.

Yamamoto smiled, amused. Together, they made a rainbow.

…

…

_**Alright!**__ Baww .. that was really .. oddly cute at the end. xD _

_THEY MAKE A RAINBOWWW~ now does anyone else understand why they're so damn _cute_?! Yeah, actually, I don't blame you if you don't, pffft. I think I'm just .. really, really odd._

_Yamamoto has an obsession with beauty and grace in this chapter. Hm. I don't know. He just .. thinks about weird things when he's bored?_

_Yeah … favorite, review? Subscribe and stick around? c: The choice is yours! _

… _lol captain planet moment._

_**EDIT.**__ Wow, I wasn't expecting the first chapter to get even a few people, I thought it would take a while! You're inspiring me to make a longer chapter, hahah. Next time it will, hopefully, but a bit longer._

_Thank you all so much! I really hope I can make you guys like this couple at least a bit. –bow-_

**manrii.**


	3. Admiration

**swing 3: admiration.**

Ryohei found that he could appreciate the Rain guardian more with age, growing at least a bit more mature with every number adding on to his name. Eighteen, nineteen, twenty—they all came and went, and those silly feelings from his teenage days were still there, strong and firmly rooted to the walls of his chest like vines. He wasn't sure exactly what, now, had actually caused them to grow, but that was fine.

He had a girlfriend now, you know? He had a _girl_friend.

So there wasn't any way he could _actually_ be attracted to a guy.

Ryohei reasoned with himself that his heart was just moving slower than his mind at accepting the fact. It wasn't denial, because he was over it. Obviously.

He said all this with a lot more confidence than he felt. In truth, he thought about Yamamoto much more than he ever thought of his girlfriend, although, he supposed it wasn't too weird. Hana could be kind of bitchy, so they fought a lot, which was obviously something he didn't want to think about.

It wasn't that Yamamoto was more important, it was just than he was more friendly.

. . .

Following with that way of thinking, then, Ryohei could also rationalize that it wasn't jealousy when he saw the Rain and Storm guardians together. It was slight annoyance at octopus head for being an ass to Yamamoto whenever they spoke, even though Yamamoto deserved just as much respect as anyone else—maybe even more. As the right hand man, Ryohei would've thought Gokudera knew that, but maybe his position was just going to his head.

(He knew, wincing, that it was extremely unfair of him to think like that. He knew they didn't get along; they never had.)

Yamamoto laughed it off when Ryohei mentioned Gokudera's rudeness. "It's just what he's like," Yamamoto had said, "He's a funny guy."

Ryohei just felt that Yamamoto deserved more.

It wasn't jealousy. Why would it be? It wasn't as if Yamamoto and Gokudera had a chemistry with each other that he envied. He didn't have any reason to think like that.

(Even though they _did_, and he actually _was_ jealous.)

. . .

Hana commented once, irritated, that Ryohei paid more attention to his friends than to her. In particular, to a few of his friends, like Sawada and Yamamoto. Ryohei had gotten flustered, denied all accusations, and left quickly.

Hana shouted at him from the door, "Why don't you just tell him that you love him?!" and Ryohei pretended he couldn't hear her, but he still tripped going down the stairs.

What he felt for Yamamoto was not "love". It was … respect. Completely.

He admired the guy, liked the way he fought, and liked to watch him train sometimes, because the intense look Yamamoto got on his face sucked Ryohei in.

Years came and went, though, and Ryohei got closer with Yamamoto. It was completely normal, a guy thing, and they went out drinking sometimes.

Yamamoto didn't have a girlfriend, so he just listened with Ryohei had talked about Hana.

"So, do you even like her?" Yamamoto had asked, once.

Ryohei bristled, getting flustered again, shouted, "Of course I do, to the extreme!"

Yamamoto laughed, but was looking at him sharply.

"I don't believe you."

Yamamoto leaned forward, as if he was going to kiss Ryohei; it was something Ryohei himself had done often enough with Hana. But Ryohei leapt away suddenly, from the bar and from his friend, shouted something about an appointment and left, ignoring Yamamoto's eyes on his back.

It had not happened, and Ryohei was imagining things.

There was no reason Yamamoto would kiss him, that'd be like .. like .. well, he couldn't think of an example, but it was definitely _weird_.

And not even weird in the way the whole mafia thing was weird, it was weird like the-world-is-going-blow-up-because-someone-spilled-spaghetti-on-Oprah weird. As in, _it made no fucking sense._ There wasn't any reason for Yamamoto to do it.

And it wasn't like he had wanted Yamamoto to do it. No, not at all. He didn't like him, love him, whatever the hell people thought. It was just admiration.

Admiration for the way Yamamoto accepted everything, was kind to everyone, and smiled. The way he laughed and bantered with Gokudera, supported Tsuna, helped Ryohei do the best he could. For the way he moved, and how his voice sounded, and how he could make Ryohei flustered (blush) like no one else could.

But it wasn't love.

(But Ryohei knew this was all denial. He was going to have the truth shoved in his face soon. He just hoped he was ready to accept it.)

. . .

* * *

. . .

_**Alright! **__Oh my God, Ryohei. xD This story is coming a bit faster than I thought it would! I'm so happy. And I'm actually really enjoying it, which is also good. c: _

_Ahahah, Yamamoto almost made a move. Or did he? Is Ryohei imagining things? Ohoho~ who knows. I like the ambiguous nature of that, hahah. _

_I want to write some stuff for xxxHolic, too, along with TsunaHaru. –smile- TsunaHaru is sooo cute. I love it. If the series goes TsunaKyoko .. I'll be really upset. I really really don't like Kyoko … -sigh-_

_But! That's not the point. xD; I hope you enjoyed this chapter and stick around to read more (even though this chapter didn't fully follow the word .. hahah). I'd really love to have you all, and I hope you can come to enjoy 8033! –love-_

**manrii.**


	4. Endeavor

**swing 4; endeavor.**

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Ryohei struggled with a lot of things. He struggled with his feelings, his schoolwork, his work-work, and his memory. He liked to think that the object of his (not-)affections did not struggle with anything. He figured this was true because Yamamoto was, in a word, (un)perfect.

The man himself, though, would laugh it off and wipe it clean, the idea Ryohei had of him.

"I have trouble with a lot of things. I really had to make an effort to get this ring, for example, you know?"

. . .

Yamamoto was confusing as hell, a man full of contradictions. Yamamoto himself seemed to know this, because he didn't help this conception of himself, and if anything, supported it.

He smiled at everything, and laughed—he did things like pretending to kiss your friend (namely, _him_, Ryohei seethed), and then he would turn around and say things like, "Sasagawa, I think you're imagining things. I was leaning forward to get the salt."

"There wasn't any salt on the counter, to the extreme, Yamamoto!"

But they were men (more so than they had been in middle school, at least) now, and so they didn't have stupid arguments like that.

. . .

Ryohei tried hard to earn everything he had. A job, all the money he (didn't) have, and a girlfriend (even though he was losing her). He did his best, and he was sure this was all that anyone could ask. He was pushing himself, shining brighter than before every single day, and always giving everything ten thousand percent.

Yamamoto told him once that he was going to run himself dry. Ryohei laughed cockily, but he felt anything but. Secretly, he wonders if he's jealous of Yamamoto, of everything the man has handed to him. (But this is a stupid question, because he knows he is.)

Yet, the rain guardian always tries his best at everything, even though Ryohei doesn't realize it. He tries his best to get Ryohei to _do _something, to admit something to him.

. . .

Yamamoto's always struggling with how he can make Ryohei see how he, himself, feels and accept it enough to let him hold him, kiss him, and do everything he's found himself dreaming of when he's falling too deeply asleep.

He wonders sometimes if this is a hopeless endeavor, then sees the sun guardian the next morning, and decides he doesn't care anyways, because the white-haired man is so cute, Yamamoto can't help but love him.

They fit together seamlessly in his dreams, filling each other completely, and he knows this is what it would be like if Ryohei would just let his guard down long enough for Yamamoto to show him it's alright to feel like this about another man, because sometimes it's just so _right_ to be in love.

. . .

. . .

_**Alright! **__Wow. This got kind of sexual at the end, hahah. ///;;_

_Um .. yeah .. sorry if that made anyone uncomfortable? But, hey, he's a guy and .. yeah. He's got needs. LOL. _

_I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I enjoyed writing it, surprisingly. c: And yes, their relationship will be going somewhere soon, I hope. –is excited-_

_With much love—don't forget to review or subscribe! Even though I'm busier lately, and things might not be moving so fast. D:  
_

**manrii.**


	5. Enhance

**swing 5: enhance.**

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Yamamoto was the type of person who, when he fell for someone, fell _hard_. He held nothing back in winning them over, did the best he could to make them his. Or, that's what people would assume, because Yamamoto's first and foremost love had always been baseball. So, when he turned sixteen and suddenly began to notice that there were all sorts of possibilities when it came to romance—it was a little overwhelming.

(To be completely honest, it had been more than he could handle.)

But, then, Yamamoto had always thought that he'd grow up, meet some pretty girl with nice proportions and a gentle voice, someone who he could hold in his arms for as long as he wanted, and just someone that … he could _keep_. Someone who wouldn't fight him, wouldn't mind staying with him—beside him—and someone who could take care of everything when he had to be gone, someone who would wait for him and understand. Someone strong enough to handle him.

When he fell for someone, it was the last person anyone—himself included—would have thought.

His eyes just locked onto the form of Ryohei one day, pumping his bandaged fists in the air and shouting something, with his white hair and platinum eyes, that huge grin and the way he lit up everything around, so everything was so much _brighter _and how he laughed and that silly bandage on his nose, the scar through his eyebrow, and how everything glowed, was glowing, and Ryohei was making _him_ glow—and—and—

_What exactly _was_ it that happened? _

He didn't know, actually. It started as a little tingle in his fingertips, some kind of wriggling in the pit of his stomach. He thought he had heard about these feelings before, in clichéd shoujo manga that Haru had mentioned to him a few times (because he was the only one nice enough to listen when Kyoko wasn't around).

That feeling of the inescapable, the unavoidable—the one you get when you're falling, the one you get when you know you're going to be with them forever or die, the one where you're drowning, suffocating, choking, and everything shines when they're near you. That silly feeling that he thought only girls could ever have—that feeling of falling way too hard, too fast.

(To be honest, he was terrified of it.)

Sixteen passed and then came seventeen, that awkward transition into being an adult for real. Yamamoto grew, forced himself to remain in control of his limbs, and was surprised he didn't have much trouble with his voice. He was glad for that—he didn't really want to be like Tsuna, who's voice cracked almost every other word. Yamamoto grinned at the flustered boss as Gokudera fussed over him like a mother hen.

The feeling of falling came on stronger when he felt Ryohei sling an arm around his shoulders, shouting something excitedly. Yamamoto looked at their senior, surprised, since Ryohei should have been at college. Ryohei's hair was beginning to get just a bit longer, and he was taller now, almost taller than Yamamoto now, but he still had an inch or so. And he was still taking care of himself, Yamamoto noticed, looking at the muscles moving in the silver haired boy's arms, and what he could see of his legs—

But wait, what was he thinking?

Yamamoto shook his head and laughed at something Ryohei had said, and Tsuna was flailing around, shouting something back while Gokudera was waving his fireworks at Ryohei threateningly. If he just acted normal, maybe it would go away.

Then came eighteen, twenty, and twenty-two, and Yamamoto couldn't really deny he was in love with the boxing dork. He didn't know what it was, but whenever Ryohei was around him, there a fluttering heat in the pit of his stomach, thoughts invading his brain that one should never associate with friends—and wow, he was doing it again. That image of Ryohei underneath him, pinned to the mattress, and that adorable flush and his breathy voice, moaning—

Could he actually make a man look like that, sound like that? Was it possible? It was almost cute. Yamamoto grinned to himself, but kept it as natural as he could when he dismissed himself casually from Tsuna's presence. His boss didn't need to know he had to go take a cold shower.

(If he was being honest, he was so sexually frustrated that he was ready to just jump something.)

Was that out of character for him? Maybe, Yamamoto mused, but then, any man would be frustrated when they had been alone as long as he had.

He had tried dating, a bit, but he had never really been interested in anyone. He always found himself comparing them to Ryohei. Were they eager enough? Loud enough? Did they have the same grin that made his stomach flutter, the same laugh that made the room light up? The temper and the passion?

The answer to these was usually 'no'. A normal person could just not compare to the boxing lover.

Ryohei hadn't seemed to have any trouble, though. He ended up dating Kurosawa, Kyoko's best friend. Yamamoto grinned at them both, because they (seemed like they) were happy.

Inside, Yamamoto burned and ached, wanted to be her. He watched them like her approved, when really he was dying from the jealousy—he didn't want her to look at Ryohei like that, didn't want her to touch his hand like that, didn't want her to kiss him like that. He didn't want anyone looking at the sun guardian, he didn't want to allow anyone to touch him.

The thought of someone else seeing the face he had seen in his dreams halted his breathing, choked and suffocated him. God, it burned. It burned his lungs up until he couldn't breathe, and he would lie awake at night, staring at the ceiling quietly, trying not to think about it, wonder what Ryohei was doing right now, with her.

The rain could wait, though. Eventually, it smoothed over everything, and Yamamoto was himself again. He heard that Ryohei and Hana were having problems, anyway—something to which he should have responded with a, "Really? I'm sorry to hear that," or something—so then, why did he grin? His chest was soaring, flapping against the confines of his skin to fly, and Yamamoto was relieved.

(Was that wrong that was so happy that Ryohei and Hana were falling apart? He honestly didn't know.)

He just couldn't forget the first time Ryohei made his heart jump into his throat, when he saw him smiling—really smiling—for the first time when he was sixteen.

When the world lit up and everything turned upside-down, and Yamamoto felt himself falling and glowing, just glowing, and Ryohei just enhanced everything in his life. (The colors, the feelings, and the desire to protect.)

. x .

. x .

_**HOLY—. **__I'm so sorry, you guys! It took me such a long time to update! D8 I had serious writer's block, and I feel so bad about it. Gaaaah. I hope this chapter can make up for how long I took, since I've been working on this for a couple days. ; w; _

_I hope you all continue to read and enjoy the relationship between Yamamoto and Ryohei. Just so you all know for certain, yes .. Yamamoto _is_ the seme in this relationship. xD; _

_(For people who don't know that term, basically he's just the dominant one.)_

_So yeah. I hope no one's upset with me. ; w; I'm doing my best to force myself through the writer's block, and I'm going to start working on a bunch of stuff after this. Shameless advertising might happen over here later. Hah~ _

_Their relationship will take off soon! This is just the half-way point! (Because, sadly, this story is only ten chapters long. D: )_

**with much love,**

**manrii.**


	6. Regard

**swing 6: regard.**

**.  
**

Ryohei punched the red swinging bag with vigor, almost as if willing it to burst. He hit it over and over, trying to make it explode, break, and tumble to the ground and die, just like his relationship with Hana had.

Yeah, so, they were over. He wasn't really too upset about it (lie), and he felt like he'd be able to move on from the anger soon (lie). Really, he wasn't upset about losing her so much as that he was angry at himself. Because, if he was gonna be honest, it was his damn fault they didn't work. He was just so angry at himself for allowing anything to come between what should have been a good, long relationship (even if he hadn't felt much towards her).

He could eventually feel eyes on his back, watching him calmly. Turning sharply, drops of sweat flying from his forehead, Ryohei's eyes adjusted to the dimmer light over by the door and could see the six-foot-four giant of the Vongola, Yamamoto. Yamamoto noticed Ryohei glaring half-heartedly at him, and grinned, giving a friendly wave.

"Yo, Ryohei!" He greeted cheerfully, walking over to the boxing fanatic. Ryohei narrowed his eyes slightly at the four inch height difference, but responded grudgingly, "Hi,"

When was it, exactly, that he had noticed Yamamoto's lack of honorific towards him? It wasn't even Sasagawa anymore. It was "Ryohei". When had that started? Ryohei couldn't remember now. It had started sometime during his and Hana's break-up, he thought, but maybe that was just when he had noticed it. It was all so blurry.

"D'you need someone to train with?" Yamamoto asked good-naturedly, cocking his head to the side slightly, "'Cause it looks like you're about to kill that punching bag."

"…" Ryohei looked back at the red punching bag and noticed how sad and pathetic it now looked, clinging to life. "…Yeah, that might be a good idea. To the extreme."

Yamamoto laughed and drew out his Shigure Kintoki from his side, where Ryohei hadn't even noticed it. The white-haired man stepped back a bit, raising an eyebrow.

"What, is this gonna be a serious match?" He sounded mildly surprised, watching as the blade appeared. Yamamoto's grin grew sharper, his scar giving him a bit of a roguish charm.

…Not that Ryohei had noticed that. It was just that Haru and Kyoko had pointed it out to him at some point, or maybe they had pointed it out to Yamamoto after the other man had gotten it, trying to give it a good aspect? Ryohei couldn't remember.

In his distraction, he had almost gotten his head taken off. Ryohei leapt back, watching the sword finish its silent arc with widened eyes. _Damn_, he was out of it. The boxer's anger spiked and he dodged the sword once more, waiting for the blade to pass him before ducking under the arc and punching Yamamoto's side, which only skimmed the fabric of his shirt, thanks to the other man jumping away. Cursing lightly under his breath, Ryohei quickly grew sick of the graceful dancing crap they were doing and began to charge and dodge and attack, relentlessly.

Before either of them knew it, they were moving around the large room in a flurry of fast movements and clashing sounds, breathing getting harder and more jagged, becoming scraped and bruised and cut with every contact of sword or fist to skin. Ryohei eventually caught the side of Yamamoto's head, with a battle cry, and Yamamoto got Ryohei in the gut with the hilt of his sword.

Lying on the floor, catching his breath, Ryohei looked over at the form of the other man, whose black hair was sticking to his forehead. Ryohei himself wasn't wearing a shirt, but Yamamoto's button up white shirt was sticking to the other man's chest, and Yamamoto laughed suddenly, wheezing a little from breathlessness.

"What?" Ryohei asked, panting still.

"N-nothing," Yamamoto laughed, rolling onto his side so he could see the white-haired man better, "Just… I dunno."

"…You're fucking weird sometimes, man," Ryohei grinned. Yamamoto laughed louder, flopping onto his back again.

. . .

Ryohei stepped out of the shower, tying the towel around his waist and grabbing another one to dry his hair. A lot of the cuts had already stopped bleeding, although there was one on his cheek that was annoying him, but he had bandaged it to shower off the sweat. He'd just have to let Kyoko look at it later, he thought, wincing.

Moving towards his clothes, he continued to dry off, and eventually began pulling on his boxers, and then his pants, holding his shirt in his mouth as he hopped around, trying to put his foot through the pant leg.

"These pants are annoying to the fucking extreme!" Ryohei shouted suddenly, falling over. Yamamoto's laughter echoed from one of the shower stalls as the other man stepped out suddenly, a towel already around his waist. Ryohei was struggling back onto his feet, his pants all tangled up, and glared at the swordsman.

"It's not funny, Yamamoto," he grumbled, yanking himself up onto the bench.

"D'you need some help with that?" the other man grinned, stepping towards him. Ryohei looked at him, but held his legs out stubbornly, feeling a bit like a kid. Yamamoto kneeled down in front of him, gently untangling the fabric and helping push it up Ryohei's leg, while the other man forced down the heat in his face, yanking the pants up to his waist.

He felt Yamamoto's hand slide up his leg and looked at him. The swordsman was looking at him, straight through, and Ryohei could feel his face flare up suddenly, and he leapt up, and away. Yamamoto was still looking at him, and pushed himself up.

(_"Why don't you just tell him you love him already?!"_

But he doesn't love Yamamoto; he doesn't. He doesn't.)

He suddenly felt arms slide around his waist, a mouth at his ear, and warmth against his back, reassuring. Ryohei clenched his eyes shut. He could feel Yamamoto's heart thumping against his back, and focused on that when he feels one of Yamamoto's hands reach up and turn his face back, so Yamamoto can—Ryohei flushes, clenched his eyes tighter, but doesn't make a sound when he feels Yamamoto's lips on his.

(It's easier to accept that he wants _this_, wants _him_, wants all of it, when his eyes are closed. That way he won't have to see himself crumbling.)

The swordsman licked Ryohei's lips, and Ryohei opened them slightly, nervous. Yamamoto tasted like milk chocolate and caramel, Ryohei notices awkwardly, trying not to think about it too much.

When had this started? What had made this okay? Ryohei doesn't remember Yamamoto ever showing any sign of attraction. He doesn't remember himself showing anything. But at the same time, he knew they must have been obvious if even Kyoko had asked if Ryohei had a crush on his baseball playing kohai, way back when they had first known each other.

And as suddenly as it started, Yamamoto suddenly pulled away, leaving Ryohei feeling cold. The boxer doesn't say anything more, but pulled on his shirt, uncomfortable. The silence is ringing, overpowering Ryohei's feelings. He's not sure if he should be angry at the violation, or at the fact that Yamamoto would do that when Ryohei had only been broken up with about a week ago. He's not even sure if he should be angry at all, or if they should just pretend it didn't happen.

Yamamoto and Ryohei both finished getting dressed and left the locker room, Ryohei making sure to keep a few feet between them at all times. He didn't trust himself or Yamamoto anymore, and he didn't want to be near him until he can figure things out. He turned towards Yamamoto, and cleared his throat.

"I think we should, uh. Stay away from each other. Or something. To the extreme," Ryohei said awkwardly, his voice almost cracking. Yamamoto grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah, maybe. For a while."

Ryohei nodded jerkily, and turned to walk away quickly, only to feel Yamamoto grab his wrist and yank him back. Their lips collided suddenly again, and as soon as there was that warmth, it was gone again, Ryohei spluttered, stepping back again. The swordsman grinned a little, and turned, waving over his shoulder.

He would just ignore that one, Ryohei decided, frowning and clearing his throat again, not wanting to think about it. He went to his room and sank onto his bed, holding his head. It was annoying, he thought, to deal with.

That night, he dreamt of winter. It was snowing, and he was standing in some kind of clearing, looking up at the sky. He hadn't seen snow in years, and kept trying to catch a snowflake on his mittens, running around, laughing loudly. He felt like a kid again, and looked around to see if Kyoko or someone was nearby. A chuckling answer his gaze, and he looked over his shoulder to see Yamamoto strolling towards him, hands in his pockets, regarding the white-haired man fondly.

Ryohei's grin grew huge, and he pumped his fist in the air, spinning around once. He felt giddy, and fell back lightly onto Yamamoto's chest, who laughed and let out an "oof!"

It was weird, being wrapped in another man's arms, Ryohei thought briefly, still grinning and chuckling. He looked up at Yamamoto, who touched their noses together, still smiling.

Ryohei woke up the next morning and stared at his ceiling without a word. He got up and went into the kitchen, where Haru and Kyoko were already beginning to cook.

"Good morning, onii-chan!" Kyoko sang, coming over to him and giving him a kiss on the cheek. Ryohei gave her a hug, still distracted.

"Ryohei-kun? Ryohei-kun!" Haru called, suddenly hitting him over the head with a spatula.

"Argh!" Ryohei looked up at her, rubbing his head, "What d'you want?"

"What do you want for breakfast?" Haru laughed.

"…Pancakes!" He pumped his fist into the air, grinning excitedly.

Kyoko let Haru continue the cooking for a while, and Ryohei went back to thinking, not noticing his sister's eyes on him.

"…Onii-chan? What are you thinking about?" She eventually asked softly, tilting her head.

"Kyoko… when does winter start?"

. . .

. . .

_**Phew.**__ I hope no one minds the kind of weird ending. I thought it was cute… but yes. _

_Something happened this chapter! Woohoo! 8D I hope it doesn't strike anyone as too odd … it felt normal to me. But, um … yes. xD;_

_I'm so awkward, asdfngjhky. But you guys still love me, right? _

_Anyways, I'm sorry this took so long to write; my school's network is really weird about fanfictionnet right now, so yeah. But I'm hoping to write the next one... sometime before a month passes. xD; Wish me luck! -love-_

**manrii. **


	7. Respond

**swing 7: respond.**

.

Yamamoto still wasn't sure how to take Ryohei's response to what had happened between them in the locker room. He had thought they were doing alright: they were being friendly and laughing, and then all of a sudden, Yamamoto hadn't been able to control himself, but the fact of the matter was that _Ryohei had responded_. Ryohei hadn't pushed him away, he had kissed him back. He hadn't shouted, he had just gotten awkward and quiet.

So how was he supposed to take that? There was probably something here he was missing, something which would help him understand exactly what was going on. He strolled through the hallways of the base with his hands in his pockets, looking around idly. It wasn't like Ryohei was freaked out, at least, right?

Okay, sure, most people would think it was weird being kissed by a guy who you were supposed to have been friends with, but it wasn't like Yamamoto was the only one who felt that funny pull, that natural gravitation towards the Sun guardian. He was sure Ryohei had felt the same thing as him, that tugging to be near Yamamoto—or, he _thought_ he was sure. Right now he was beginning to have more doubts about the situation.

The kissing was a good start, though. Yamamoto chuckled, managing to sound only slightly strained, and rubbed the back of his neck. He had felt Ryohei's body heat up, which he assumed was a good sign, although he wasn't so sure about the stiffness of his limbs. Was that just the shock? He really wasn't used to this whole 'physical romance' thing; this is what he got for being mostly single his whole life.

He went to go talk to someone who might have a better idea of how to handle this. Italians _were_ supposed to be the best lovers, right? (Or was that the Spanish? He couldn't remember correctly what Haru had told him about some survey at the moment.)

"Oi, Gokudera," Yamamoto grinned, clapping a hand on the silver-haired man's shoulder, almost jolting the cigarette from his mouth, "Can I ask you something?"

"God damn it, Yamamoto," Gokudera scowled, taking the stick from his mouth and sighed, turning to the Rain guardian in aggravation, "What is it?"

"How do you know if someone likes you?"

"…The hell are you, a seventh grader?" Gokudera looked at him in disbelief, his green eyes widening, "What the fuck d'you mean, 'how can you tell'?"

"Well, I've never really been good at this stuff," Yamamoto laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his head, "So I dunno how to tell yet."

"That's what you get for being a dating retard," Gokudera grumbled, lighting a new cigarette and taking a long drag. He blew out the smoke towards the sky before answering, "It depends on the person. Who are you talking about?"

"Ryohei."

Gokudera choked on the smoke and pounded his chest a few times, before looking up at Yamamoto in disbelief again. It was about the kind of response the Rain guardian had been expecting, though, so he just grinned brightly.

"You wanna know … if the damn turf head—?" Gokudera regained his composure and ruffled his hair, frowning deeply. Finally, he glared at him, "Look, damn it, I don't know, Yamamoto. Why don't you just go ask him yourself?"

"Really? No ideas?" Yamamoto laughed, again sheepish, "Alright, sorry to bother you."

"Yeah, whatever, just go be gay somewhere else," Gokudera grumbled, shaking his head. He took another drag, and Yamamoto chuckled and shook his head.

He knew Gokudera didn't mean it; he was just like that. But that really hadn't helped him at all. Yamamoto's smile faded as he looked at the ceiling, contemplating what to do now. There had to be _someone_ who would be able to tell—and coming to a realization, he laughed out loud all of a sudden, shaking his head at himself; he could be such an idiot sometimes.

Loping down the hallway towards the kitchen, his grin firmly back in place, he felt a bit of a bounce come into his step.

Kyoko would know. She knew her brother better than anyone else, after all.

. . .

"Onii-chan's never really liked anyone before, though," Kyoko said brightly as she washed the pots and pans from lunch. Yamamoto scrubbed at one of the plates and muttered, "Oh,"

Kyoko looked at him for a long time, her smile fading into a thoughtful expression.

"Do you love onii-chan, Yamamoto?"

The Rain guardian looked down at the much shorter woman in surprise, but her face was unperturbed. The look in her eyes was tranquil, but intense as she waited for the response, and Yamamoto could see a glimpse of Ryohei in them. Finally, he gave a rueful grin.

"Yeah, I think so."

She finally smiled again, her face lighting up gently, and she said, "Oh, that's good."

"Why?"

She looked back at the silver pot she was cleaning and finished washing off the remnants of rice off the inside before putting it to the side in the drying rack, and then she said, "I just think that onii-chan cares about you a lot," she said peacefully, "But because he's stupid sometimes, he doesn't know how to say it."

"Stupid?" Yamamoto laughed, rubbing the back of his neck before remembering his hand was wet and soapy. "I've never heard you say something like that about him."

She giggled, putting forks in the drying rack as well. "I love it about him, though," she hummed, "Onii-chan should always be like that. It's what makes him so wonderful."

"…Yeah. I guess it is." Yamamoto chuckled to himself, but it was a serious sound as he looked at the wall and thought for a long time about the other man; he could tell Kyoko's silence meant she was doing the same.

When they finished the dishes, Kyoko gave him one last smile as she pulled her hair out of her clip. Yamamoto watched it fall to her shoulder blades and she tilted her head back to meet his eyes, and said, "You should go talk to him."

"I will," he promised, finally relaxing enough to pull his easy smile onto his face, "I swear."

"Good," she walked past him then, and down the hallway towards the showers and her room, maybe going to speak with Haru, although Yamamoto really didn't know. Women really could be so mysterious. He shook his head with a slight grin and loped off into the other direction.

. . .

. . .

. . .

_**Aiyah.**__ I'm doing my best to try and follow a slight plotline in these chapters, maybe. Kind of. I hope it'll work, 'cause I'm really trying to get used to it for the sake of future stories I plan on writing.D8 I'm also working on keeping dialogue in character! Did this feel in character? 'Cause there's that awkward "d'you love him" moment where I was like, "Ooo, I hope this works okay..." So everyone tell me if it feels right to you, please. -heart-  
_

_Well, I'm glad I could put Kyoko in this! Especially without wrinkling my nose or feeling sick! She can be a pretty cool dude when Ryohei's involved! This is why I like RyoheiKyoko! … What!_

_I'm still driving cross-country right now, hahah; we're in Kansas. We actually just drove through Topeka! I have a friend who lives in Wichita, so I laughed when I saw the sign for that exit. c: Hi, Kelsey! Bye, Kelsey! Yeah. (Note: We are now in Colorado. Phew. So much driving. At least we can see my uncle, though. c: )  
_

_Now, you don't have to read this crap down here, 'cause I'm just gonna be talking about the OC story I … need to get around to writing more of. xD _

_So, I'm pretty bummed because I noticed something as I was glancing over the Shimon family chapters: Mayu, one of my OCs that I came up with around the Varia arc, looks a lot like Suzuki. Big breasts, black hair in a ponytail, yeah. I'm gonna try and see if Mayu could do with any physical changes, but she's looked that way for so long in my head, that I don't think I'd be able to handle changing her (change meaning, giving her a haircut)! Kinda sad. Oh well, TYL!Mayu is pretty awesome looking, so okay._

_There's also the whole "new flame" thing! Pretty early on in the story, I bring in a new flame of my own, which is a moon flame. D: Then, around the same time of the Shimon arc (and this was like five chapters before she mentioned a new flame), I made a joke with my friend about what would happen if two Moon flames had a baby! Which of course created a new character, who's this 12 year old kid. BUT THEN Amano introduced a new flame and now I'm like, "well, great," 'cause I mean, I made the Moon flame up when I was still reading the Mukuro arc. OTL It makes me feel like not writing the story, but at the same time I _need_ to write about these characters, because I just love them so much. D8 So yeah._

_I'll do my best to get everything out, though, I swear._

_Aiiiiyaaaah! Only three more chapters of LAY! … LOL! Oh god. Look After You = LAY? TH-THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT IT JUST LEADS TO SEX! OR THAT IT WAS AIMING FOR THAT! _

_I actually only just noticed that. How cool/funny/weird and kinda creepy is that? I like it. _

_Anyways, I'll shut up now. :'D I love all of you for following me and I'm sorry I make you guys wait, but I really am trying to get better about updating! Looooove! _

**manrii.**


	8. Discreet

**swing 8: discreet.**

.

This was a time to be sneaky, Ryohei thought to himself as he peered around the corner of one of the hallways. It felt like he was playing a child's game again after such a long time—which was weird, because now he actually _was_ in the mafia. But right now was not the time to think about technicalities. He had to get to the kitchen without being noticed, because if he _was_ noticed, someone might ask what he was doing, and he knew he'd probably wind up making an idiot of himself trying not to say that he was avoiding Yamamoto.

… Which he wasn't. It just so happened that he hadn't seen the Rain guardian in about five days, which wasn't really that odd because of how big the base was. It wasn't that he paid attention to wherever the Rain guardian was going so that he could be sure not to be there; he didn't have a reason to do something extremely _stupid_ like that—

"… Onii-chan, what're you doing?"

The soft voice from behind him caused him to jump with a slight (manly) yelp of terror. Looking over his shoulder shakily, Ryohei grumbled, "N-nothing…"

Kyoko blinked large, caramel eyes at him and eventually smiled. "You're so funny sometimes, onii-chan."

He forced a large grin onto his face, trying to make it silly as possible. He didn't want Kyoko to worry after all, not his precious sister. Rising into a standing position, he stepped towards her and noticed the basket she was carrying, which she had to shift her grip on every thirty seconds or so.

"Kyoko, are you—?"

"I'm fine, onii-chan," she said, her tongue sticking out a bit as she adjusted the basket even more. Finally looking up at him, she began to walk as she said, "You know, Yamamoto's been looking for you."

Out of habit, Ryohei had fallen into step with Kyoko and almost didn't register her question. After blinking a few times, he finally grumbled, "Oh, is that so."

Okay, so, this was awkward. Scratching the back of his head, he hoped Kyoko wouldn't make this into a big deal, in that quietly intense way she did.

"Are you upset with him?" She asked, widening her eyes at him, "Did something happen?"

Ryohei winced, but shook his head, "No, nothing happened. To the extreme."

"Then why are you avoiding him?"

Ah crap. There it was. Kyoko was looking at him with those silently accusing eyes, the ones that made him feel guilty and weak, like he should get on his knees and apologize with a bouquet of flowers.

"I'm not avoiding him," he muttered, looking away, "I just haven't seen him lately."

"You're lying," Kyoko said simply, and Ryohei could just imagine how much that hurt her, "Why are you lying?"

He groaned and ruffled his hair, "Kyoko—"

"Onii-chan!" She said, stopping and stomping her foot, "I want the truth!"

"I don't… know the truth," Ryohei mumbled, hanging his head, "I just kinda … do it."

"He really wants to talk to you," she said, sighing and turning away, "You should go find him."

He watched her walk to the kitchen, her grip on the basket shifting every once and awhile as she walked down the hallway.

Alright, he heard the trembling in her voice, the one only he could hear, and now he really felt like shit. Turning the other way and shaking his head, Ryohei growled at himself, "So much for being discreet..."

. . .

_So much for being discreet,_ indeed, Yamamoto mused, waiting around the corner for the boxing fanatic (because he wasn't one to call Ryohei an idiot, unlike certain other people in the family—no, he is most certainly not looking at you, Gokudera, what?). The man had a talent for being completely unable to be quiet.

(Which, Yamamoto supposes, is probably one of the reasons Reborn had never commented that Ryohei would be a _natural hitman_ or _good assassin_.)

But the other man walks around the corner without immediately recognizing Yamamoto's presence, and so he simply begins walking beside the slightly shorter man, waiting for the inevitable shock at Yamamoto being there.

"Damn it… Kyoko…" Yamamoto could only make out bits and pieces of the man's mutterings, but he sounded upset about something. Maybe it was a bad time to bother him?

Before Yamamoto could leave, though, Ryohei's eyes finally swiveled around to meet his and widened in alarm.

"Ya-Yamamoto! I didn't see you to the extreme! When did you—?"

"Only just now," Yamamoto chuckled, sliding the grin into place to try and calm the older man down. Ryohei bristled, spluttering slightly, but eventually seemed to give up and he closed his mouth.

Yamamoto looked at him, and eventually his smile faded.

Okay… now _he_ felt a bit awkward. But this wasn't the time to let it show, seriously. So he pressed his lips to Ryohei's (a bit more clumsily than he would have liked), and when he pulled away, he plunged ahead, letting the question come out all in a rush, instead of more practiced and planned like he had intended.

"Would you like to go out with me sometime?"

…Yeah, definitely not as smooth as he had been hoping. Yamamoto winced a bit after it all came spilling out, sounding like one long, ridiculous word, not wanting to believe how lame and completely _middle school_ that had sounded.

Ryohei stared at him, as if he had had all words and thoughts smacked from his mind. Forcefully. Yamamoto waited hopefully, looking back, and the other finally snapped out of whatever reverie he had been in.

"ARE YOU KIDDING." Ryohei shouted, shoulders shooting up to his ears, "OF COURSE NOT. TO THE EXTREME."

With that, he bolted away.

…Okay, well. That… really hadn't gone so well. Yamamoto wasn't sure if he should laugh or—well, no, he wasn't really upset. He had kind of been expecting something like that. It had definitely been… cute.

Yeah, that was the word. Ryohei, just then, had been really cute. Bright red and flustered and stiff. It made Yamamoto chuckle. Alright, he wasn't upset. He'd just have to try again later, when Ryohei wasn't so tense.

. . .

Somewhere else in the base, Kyoko suddenly sighed, deeply and put the knife that she had been using to cut the carrots down. Haru looked at her, wide-eyed and blinking inquisitively.

"Hahi? Kyoko-chan? Is something wrong?"

"Mm," Kyoko shook her head with a slight smile and looked at her friend reassuringly, letting the smile get bigger naturally. "It's just brother being himself again."

Haru didn't look any less confused, but she still smiled, laughing a little. "Okay."

Kyoko giggled a bit, went back to cutting, but thought to herself, _Onii-chan, you idiot._

. . .

. . .

. . .

_**AHHHH! **__Finally, the next chapter! Holy crap, you guys! I am sorry! I've been working on this for… a while! I wrote the first part with Ryohei and Kyoko RIGHT after publishing the seventh chapter, but then I lost inspiration and stopped! _

_But because I've come up with the beginnings of the next two chapters (I know, the fact that these next two are the last two is getting to me, too. I'm actually really sad, LOL), I finally realized, _"Oh my god! I never finished the eighth chapter!"_ so I rushed back to finish it. It… might not be as amazing as I wanted it to be, but I don't mind this chapter. I'm actually sort of starting to like the little Kyoko bits in this, too. .w. _

_AUGH, BUT THIS CHAPTER. WHY WON'T IT LET ME MAKE "WOULD YOU GO OUT WITH ME SOMETIMES" ALL ONE WORD? That's how it's SUPPOSED to come out, guys. D: But ff is being a dick and won't let me write that.  
_

_The next two chapters, I will be working hard on! I'll try and do my best! Please root for me, you guys!_

**with much love,**

**manrii.**


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